


Lhant's Mistletoe Traditions

by Birdz555



Category: Tales of Graces
Genre: Christmas Fluff, M/M, Pining, Talesmas 2019, mistletoe kisses
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-10
Updated: 2020-01-10
Packaged: 2021-02-27 06:13:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,183
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22192351
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Birdz555/pseuds/Birdz555
Summary: Preparations for the Christmas party are underway at Windor Castle and Richard finds himself thinking of a certain someone. Sophie educates him on one of Lhant's traditions.
Relationships: Asbel Lhant/Richard Windor, Sophie & Richard Windor
Comments: 8
Kudos: 17





	Lhant's Mistletoe Traditions

**Author's Note:**

> This fic is a gift for liofotias on Twitter for Talesmas 2019! I went with the prompt 'Richard and Asbel under the mistletoe'. Hope you like it! :D

Richard sighed, finally alone for a moment. His noon meeting had run long, and it meant he hadn’t been able to see Asbel off back to Lhant. Granted, he would be back in two weeks for the annual Christmas party at Windor Castle but still – he wanted to spend all the time he could with his friend. Richard sighed again, deeper this time. The thought that Asbel was _just_ a friend to him made him want to look longingly out the window to maybe catch a glimpse of the Turtlez transport he was riding in. (Richard did this. He did not see it.)

It had become increasingly obvious to Richard over the past few months that he’d developed feelings for Asbel. The funny sensation in his stomach whenever Asbel was around had quickly become a common occurrence. Every smile directed at him, every laugh he uttered, every secret smirk over paperwork in a meeting seemed to cause this feeling. Richard later learned people often referred to this phenomenon as ‘butterflies in one’s stomach’. And everything Asbel did seemed to set them aflutter.

He was like a ray of sunshine in Richard’s otherwise cloudy life. Richard would not openly admit this, but he had committed his favourite moments with Asbel to memory. A veritable jewel box of good feelings that Richard opened whenever he felt sad or if he was bored or if he found himself missing Asbel just a tad too much. Like now.

Mentally lifting the lid, he chose a recent memory. He and Asbel had been enjoying tea by the fireplace, snow lightly falling outside. It had been a long day for them, but Richard had had no intention of falling asleep. Not when Asbel had dozed off himself in the chair across from him, a serene look gracing his face. Richard had smiled and slowly traced his gaze along Asbel’s features from his eyelashes to his nose down to his slightly chapped lips. Oh, how he had wanted to kiss those lips…

Richard shook his head. It was still only mid-afternoon and he unfortunately had another meeting to attend. He tucked the image of sleepy Asbel back into his jewel box for later.

The next week passed by in a slow but steady decorating of the castle. Evergreen garlands were hung over windows and along archways, punctuated by bunches of holly and big, red bows. Poinsettias of red, white and pink dotted the hallways at corners and atop pedestals, replacing some of the usual decor. But most popular – and perhaps treacherous – were the clusters of mistletoe sprinkled throughout.

Popular, of course, with the noblewomen who had been using it to catch unsuspecting noblemen – of which Richard was no exception. Being a gentleman, Richard placated each of them with a chaste kiss on the cheek and a smile. The treacherous bit was mostly caused by Richard’s own imagination, which took it upon itself to conjure up an image of Asbel every time he got caught. What would his expression be like, under the mistletoe? Maybe after the party they’d have some time together… Richard paused in the hallway he was headed down, a fierce daydream gripping his mind.

_He was walking with Asbel in a less-traversed corridor of Windor castle, after the festivities had died down. Their inhibitions were lessened a bit tonight, whether it be the magic of the holidays or the eggnog they sampled that Malik had told them to avoid, and they chatted amicably. Asbel bumped into a pedestal, knocking the poinsettia off-kilter. Richard grabbed onto Asbel’s shoulder for balance as he steadied the plant, sighing in relief when it finally stopped wobbling._

_Then Asbel started to laugh. It started as a nervous chuckle but quickly escalated as Richard found himself laughing too. He kept a grip on Asbel’s shoulder, steadying himself mentally as well as physically as their voices echoed in the hallway. And that’s when Richard looked up and saw it:_

_Mistletoe._

_Asbel followed his gaze upwards and then looked knowingly back down at Richard, cheeks flushed. They looked deep into each others’ eyes; time seemed to slow down around them. Richard moved his hand from Asbel’s shoulder to his face and drew in closer. His eyelids fluttered closed and –_

“Richard!”

Startled, Richard detached himself from the wall he had been leaning on and looked over to the sound of the voice. Sophie waved at him and motioned for him to join her. Richard smiled and made his way over to her, trying to shake off his daydream.

“Sophie! I thought you were back in Lhant?”

“No, Cheria had some things to do here, so I stayed behind with her.” Richard arrived at her side and she giggled. “Now you’re under this plant with me!” Sophie pointed up to where a sprig of mistletoe hung from the ceiling. Richard balked a little and Sophie noticed, quickly adding: “Don’t worry, we don’t have to kiss if you don’t want to.”

“That’s quite alright, Sophie.” Richard assured. “I don’t mind if it’s you.” She smiled.

“I’m so happy. I learned from Cheria that in Lhant, different kisses mean different things and I wanted to share that with you.”

“Oh?” Richard asked. “What sorts of things?”

“A kiss on the forehead means ‘I treasure your friendship’.” She beamed. “So, could you bend down a little?”

Richard obliged and knelt down in front of her. As expected, she gave him a gentle kiss on the forehead; he smiled.

“Thank you, Sophie.” Richard said, standing up. “Allow me to return the favour.”

“No!” Sophie shouted, dancing out of the way. “It’s bad luck to kiss twice,” she explained.

“Oh. My apologies.” Richard stepped out from under the mistletoe and towards Sophie.

“Cheria said there’s only one exception to that rule.” Richard nodded for her to continue, enthralled. “If a person kisses another on the right cheek, and that person kisses them back on the lips, that’s okay.”

“Hm, interesting.” Richard rested a hand on his chin. “What do those types of kisses mean?”

“A kiss on the cheek means ‘I have unspoken feelings for you’. On the right cheek, those feelings are of love. On the left, those feelings are of hate.” Sophie recited. Richard chuckled. _Oh, to have known that earlier!_ She continued: “And a kiss on the lips means ‘I love you’.”

Richard dropped his gaze, reflecting on the meanings. “So, if you love someone but haven’t said it, you can let them know this way. And they can respond in kind at that time, if they wish.”

“Yes. Cheria said it’s very romantic.”

“Yes, I suppose it would be.” Richard could feel his cheeks colouring at the thought of meeting Asbel.

“You’re blushing, Richard. Is there someone you want to kiss under the mistletoe?” Sophie asked, head cocked to one side.

“Uh, well,” Richard took a breath. Always so perceptive, Sophie. “There is, but please don’t tell anyone,” he confided. “As king, things could go awry if rumours got started.” Sophie nodded sagely.

“Your secret is safe with me.”

“Thank you, Sophie.” Richard patted her on the head and she smiled back at him.

“I hope you get to meet them under the mistletoe.”

“Me too, Sophie.” Richard sighed. “It might take a Christmas miracle for that to happen though.”

The next few days went by in a flurry of Christmas party preparations. The menu needed to be decided (‘and the king _must_ taste this’), the music needed to be approved (‘don’t you think this choir is better than the one last year?’), even the lighting needed to be just so (‘is no one worried about the amount of candles we’re using?’). It was quite the production. And if Richard was being honest, he was starting to feel run down. He had consulted his jewel box a few times, but the only two things keeping him going were that one, he would see Asbel in a couple of days. And two, knowing Sophie would be the one catching him under the mistletoe until then. It had almost turned into a game for the two of them.

The day after she’d explained Lhant’s mistletoe traditions, she had met him under a different bunch from the first; one before lunch, and one after. The day after that, she’d been waiting for him again, each time under a different sprig. Richard highly suspected Sophie planned to either give or receive a forehead kiss under every plant in the castle, and with only two days until the party now she was making quick work of it.

He’d caught her early this morning, under a bunch just outside the kitchens, but hadn’t run into her all afternoon between his various meetings. Now, it was dark outside and Richard was walking around a less-traversed part of the castle trying to find her. He rounded a corner and spotted Sophie behind a column a ways down the hall, her back turned. He smiled to himself and picked up his pace, taking care to walk on the carpet to soften his footsteps. He moved to the right, keeping his eyes on Sophie, intending to duck into the open corridor there when –

He crashed right into someone.

Richard and whoever he had bumped into both grunted and reached out to steady themselves on the other. Richard recovered first and said:

“My apologies, I should have–”

“No, my bad, Richard. _I_ should’ve been looking were I was going,” Asbel corrected.

The rest of Richard’s response died on his tongue. Asbel was here? He realized his mouth was probably hanging open, but he was more acutely aware of Asbel’s hand still on his shoulder. He willed his voice to return.

“No, Asbel, this was my fault. I was –” Richard glanced behind Asbel to where Sophie was. She was closer now and frantically pointing…upwards? Richard looked up and immediately felt his face colour.

“You were..?” Asbel questioned. Richard opened his mouth but closed it right away, not sure he trusted himself to speak right now. Thankfully, Asbel followed his gaze upwards. “Is that…mistletoe?”

“Y-yes.” Richard cleared his throat. “It’s. Uh. Up as part of the decorations for the Christmas party.”

“Oh,” was all Asbel said, his gaze still skyward. Richard swallowed and quickly followed up.

“I wasn’t expecting to see you until then.”

“Oh, yeah.” Asbel coughed and finally looked at Richard again. “I finished up my business in Lhant early, so I figured I’d come back to see how you and Sophie were doing.”

“I see.” Richard felt Asbel’s hand shift on his shoulder and leaned into his touch. “Speaking of Lhant, I heard they have some…interesting traditions where mistletoe is concerned.”

“Oh, yeah?” Asbel furrowed his brow. “I do vaguely remember Cheria talking about them when we were younger, but I don’t remember the specifics.”

Richard chanced a glance back to Sophie, who gave him a thumbs up. _Here goes nothing._ “Well, apparently, different kisses mean different things,” he began, heart beat steadily increasing. “A kiss on the forehead means ‘I treasure your friendship’. A kiss on the cheek means ‘I have unspoken feelings for you’.” Richard held up his index finger. “The cheek is important; left means feelings of hate while right is of love. And –” He breathed, willing his imagination to _stop_. “A kiss on the lips means ‘I love you’.”

“Oh,” Asbel said, softly. Richard continued.

“It’s bad luck to not kiss, but it’s also bad luck to kiss twice unless –” Richard could feel himself rambling, his nerves getting the best of him, his face growing hotter. He should just get to the point and –

Kiss. Asbel. But Asbel was kissing him instead. _On the lips._

Well this wasn’t how he’d imagined it.

Asbel pulled back before Richard had a chance to kiss him back and he lamented the loss of his touch immediately. Asbel must’ve seen the still-shocked expression Richard could feel on his face. He smiled awkwardly and his shoulders sunk a little.

“Well, we can’t have bad luck, can we?” Asbel laughed nervously.

Richard yanked off his gloves, discarding them on the floor with a _thwap_. He cupped Asbel’s now confused face and said, “Yes, we can,” before pulling him in for another kiss. Asbel sighed into his touch, bringing Richard closer, arms encircling his shoulders. Richard finally broke the kiss, resting his forehead against Asbel’s.

“You know, Asbel, if you had fully listened to my explanation we could have gotten out of this situation with good luck.”

“With all due respect, Richard,” Asbel teased, “I knew what I wanted to say and _you_ could’ve moved us out from under the mistletoe.” Richard laughed and gently pushed Asbel back a few paces.

“What kind of luck do you think we’ll have if we kiss over here?” Richard asked.

“I’m not sure but…I’d like to find out.” Asbel smirked.

“Me too.”

Sophie turned on her heel and walked away from her friends embracing across the hall, a huge smile on her face. After all, both Richard _and_ Asbel had managed to meet who they wanted under the mistletoe today.


End file.
